Can't promise you the world, but... (A Rohit-Shreyas Fanfiction)

Chapter 18

Shreyas had seen Rohit bhaiya hurt enough times to know the exact way he looked when he was.

And he wanted to call Rohit bhaiya back, cling on to him and apologize the moment Rohit bhaiya stepped out of the room. He couldn't say what stopped him.

Ego? Fear? The knowledge that he didn't deserve to cling on to Rohit bhaiya?

'Maybe I can't promise you the whole world, but I WANT to. If I could, I would give you everything you ask for. Don't you think it's much the same thing?'

With Rohit bhaiya leaving, his tears seemed to have got locked inside. So though his eyes burned and burned, he could not cry.

Shreyas sank deep into the bed, head buried in his arms.

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On a professional front, Rohit had felt like a failure often. Today, though, he felt like the worst sort of failure. Failure as a person, which was so much worse than failure as a cricketer.

Even after explaining everything--he'd explained everything he could, and he didn't have anything else at his disposal--if Shreyas doubted Rohit's love, Rohit had possibly never shown his love--which he didn't--

He wasn't good with words like Virat. Or comfortable with words. He just wasn't. Maybe part of him had always worried that the people he loved didn't know of his love.

Amongst those people, Shreyas had been one of the foremost.

And he was a horrible captain, again not on the professional front as much as on the personal front. Maybe a part of him had worried that he had been a horrible captain, too, since he'd tried never to think of it much at all.

Shreyas had made it all too real, too suddenly.

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When Rohit entered his room, Virat and Rahul were still there, both awake, talking in low voices. They looked up quickly at the footsteps. Rohit read their expressions changing into concern and wished he'd masked his own expression better.

Well, he'd expected an empty room.

Rahul got up quickly and looking around, found the mound of milk powder packets they'd ordered earlier that evening.

"Milk powder?" he said, offering Rohit a bunch.

"Thanks." Rohit sank down into the couch, and put his elbow on Rahul's shoulder when he joined him, and tore open the packet.

Virat straightened up. "If I'd said that, you'd face jumped down my throat," he accused.

Rohit shrugged. "Yes. Your point?"

Rahul lowered his head to hide his smile.

Virat jumped off the bed, took away the milk powder packet and pulled Rohit up by his arm. Then he was dragging Rohit out into the corridor before either Rohit or Rahul could register.

"What d'you think will happen if I listen!" Rahul shouted after them indignantly. "Bring him back, Rohit!"

Virat looked at Rohit.

"No, Rahuliya," said Rohit. "You stay away from this stuff as long as you can."

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For once, Virat waited without prying for Rohit to speak first when they'd reached a peaceful spot on the stairs.

"I discovered what Shreyas' been mad at me about," he said quietly. "It's about him not playing the T20 World Cup last year. He extended me not selecting him right up to whatever I've ever said to him being lies, and--he seems quite convinced about the whole thing."